Happiness
by the ticking clock
Summary: As his best friend, it would always be her job to save him from himself. A series of one-shots exploring the friendship of Lexi and Stefan.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm planning on continuing this as a series of one-shots about the friendship of Lexi and Stefan. Please review and send me prompts...prompts are AMAZING and keep me writing! **

Even after all this time, she sometimes still thinks of him as the lost, bloodthirsty boy who ran into her so many years ago.

it is only when she sees him, his eyes bright and clear, his head cocked, staring at her in disbelief that she remembers that not only is she Stefan's best friend, he is hers. She's protected him, and he's protected her.

"Lexi?" He asks.

And because she knows that she can do this now(but she always remembers a time when even the slightest movements would send him into a rage) she bares her teeth and playfully mimes biting his neck. "Hey."

Stefan laughs, a real, sweet genuine laugh, and she punches his shoulder. "It's good to see you."

He ruffles her hair. "It's good to see you too, Lex. How have you been?"

She shrugs, because truthfully she doesn't know. She's been having fun-traveling and trying to make new friends-but what she's really missed is _this. _Laughing with her best friend. Making sure he doesn't get staked, or he doesn't go on a murderous rampage. She's missed chasing him through the woods, forcing that wonderful laugh out of him, missed whispering secrets in his ears late at night when her guard is down, and they can be themselves with each other. That's the benefit of knowing someone for over a hundred years. You never had to pretend.

Something in her expression must have given away her thoughts, because Stefan pulls her into a sudden embrace. "Hey, Lex, you okay? Really?"

She relaxes into his grip, lets him hold her for a moment, before she nods. "Yeah. I'm okay."

Unable to stand the seriousness of the moment, she pulls away and shoves him, lightly. "You okay, Stefan? You're not-"

He rolls his eyes. "I'm not like that anymore, Lexi. You can stop worrying. I'm fine."

"Just checking." She tosses him a smile over her shoulder and collapses on the coach, patting the space beside her. They both know she'll never stop asking him if he's alright, if he's had any human blood, if he's starting to feel that darkness inside him again. It's her job. Protecting Stefan from himself. And he'd accepted that long ago.

"Come on," She says, slapping the cushions with heavy impatience, and he grins at her as he sits. "We have a lot to catch up on."

They sit like that for a long while, close together, laughing and whispering and remembering. Remembering times of darkness, times of joy, and the times when they just had _so much fun. _

She doesn't think she's laughed this much in a long time.

And she thinks that this, right here, _this _is what it truly means to feel _happy. _

**Thoughts? Prompts?**_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to: Kika de Apus for the prompt: Damon is jealous of Lexi and Stefan's friendship. **

**please keep the prompts and reviews coming! I love them!  
**

He told Lexi to help his brother before he left because he did not want Stefan to completely destroy himself. As much as he hated his little brother, it hurt him to see Stefan like this-this wild monster who thought of nothing but blood, blood, and more blood.

Lexi was the kind of person, he noticed right away, who would be able to help Stefan. She was smart, she was fierce, she was gentle, and she did not take no for an answer. Stefan needed someone like that in his life. Someone to keep him stable.

But watching them now...

He had been gone for so long that he felt he did not know his brother anymore. He had given himself over to the blood lust, shut off his own emotions and relished in being a vampire. In a way, he had become Stefan. At least, the Stefan he had known before he had left...

The Stefan that ran towards him now was smiling, arms spread wide, and not in a vicious, bloodthirsty way. This Stefan was like the younger brother from his childhood. Human. Good.

"I've missed you, brother!" Stefan shouted, but Damon moved away from him.

"Stefan," He said, coolly, flatly, "You look well."

The fall of his brother's features was so _human _that Damon nearly laughed. What had Lexi done to Stefan?

She walked towards him now, sauntered really, and gave him an icy smile. "Damon."

"Lexi." He returned her greeting with a sharp nod.

She smirked and turned away, tugging at Stefan's arm. "Come on, sweetness. Let's show Damon inside."

_Sweetness?_

Lexi glanced at him over her shoulder, and Damon bared his teeth. She winked.

OoO

"What did you do to him?" Damon demanded the instant they were alone together,

"I don't know what you're talking about." her voice was soft. Calm.

"You know _exactly _what I'm talking about."

They were standing by the fire, although they wouldn't feel the cold, drinking while Stefan was out "hunting" or whatever his version of feeding was now.

"I told you to help him, not turn him into a self-sacrificing martry. Not make him _human. _"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I showed him there was a better way to live, Damon. I showed him that he didn't _have _to turn off his emotions. I'm helping him live his life. What do you want?"

He spun away from her. "I don't want this."

She was in front of him in half a second, teeth bared, voice a low snarl. "Look," She snapped, "Stefan's told me what happened between you two, and he's _sorry _Damon. Now I'm helping your little brother not to destroy himself. You asked me to help him. That's what I'm doing."

Pushing her away, he stalked from the room. "Just stop talking."

"You can't run from everything Damon!" She called. "It catches up with you eventually!"

He pretended not hear her.

OoO

Lexi made Stefan laugh.

Not the kind of half-wild laugh Damon was used to hearing, but the laugh from his childhood. That hearty, happy, care-free laugh that was so infectious, so charming.

He made a point of avoiding both of them, staying inside and watching from the windows as they wrestled and laughed and talked.

Vampires were not supposed to feel.

So what was this ache in his chest?

He growled, and hit a fist against the wall, not hard enough to release any anger, and not hard enough to break through the wood. He was _feeling _again. Feeling emotion. Jealousy?

Running a hand through his hair, he spun away from the window to grab his coat. He needed to hunt. He needed to feed. He needed to shut his emotions off.

Lexi and Stefan stopped whatever game they were playing to watch him stalk past.

"Where are you going, brother?" Stefan called.

"Out." Damon snarled, and started running before he had to answer more questions.

OoO

He ran until he knew they wouldn't follow, and stalked a young girl on her way home from a dance. Her cheeks were rosy with blood, and his fang teeth ached in his gums, the hunger twisting his gut.

"Hello," He whispered, softly, seductivly.

She spun, laughing, her dark eyes wide and dancing, playful. "Who-"

He sprang before she could finish her sentence, slicing his fangs into her neck, letting the warm, hot blood to soak against his lips, slide down his throat, soothe the gnawing ache.

"Idiot." Someone seized him from behind, throwing him away from his prey. He snarled.

Lexi glared down at him, eyes dark with her own hunger, teeth bared. "Don't move, " She snapped and turned her gaze away from him to compell the girl. "Leave this place and never think of it again."

Once his prey had escaped, Lexi leaped towards him. He sprang upright, but she snagged his wrist and threw him over her head, pinning him flat in a matter of seconds. "Don't try me, Damon. I'm older and faster. So shut up."

He glared at her.

"I'm trying to help your brother. He needs me Damon, and I can't abandon him right now, all right? You asked me to help him; I'm going to. That doesn't mean I'm going to help you. But you need help." She looked at him, almost sadly. "I know it hurts to feel, Damon, but then-"

"You can love, I get it." He growled.

She bared her teeth at his tone. "Yes. You can love. That's the point."

"I do love," He snaps. "and it's awful."

Lexi let him up, but kept a firm grip on his wrist, holding him still. "It is, sometimes. But in the long run, your brother will be thanking me because I helped him find his humanity. You won't."

She released him and stood. "I can't save both of you, Damon." She said. "I'm going to save Stefan because you asked me too. because he's my best friend." She paused. "You don't have to be alone, Damon. You could use a friend right now. But it's not going to be me."

She left him lying on the ground, covered in blood, and too shaken to stand.

OoO

Lexi was someone Damon could never be.

He couldn't help Stefan the way she could, couldn't make his brother laugh like she could, couldn't bring out the Stefan that actually liked to have _fun. _

He still hated his brother, but there was a part of him that would always want to be the one that caused Stefan to laugh. The one who protected him.

But that was Lexi, not him.

So he left, left Stefan with his best friend and his savior, and ran off to live alone. To feed on people. To take lives. To the life of a vampire. The life he hated.

He had asked Lexi to help his brother.

But secretly, he had wanted her to help him too.

Well, it was a little late for that, wasn't it?

He ran into the night to the sound of Stefan's laughter, and he thought that he had never felt so alone.

But maybe this was fate.

He was just never meant to feel anything, and Lexi's friendship on Stefan had sealed that fact.

So he closed his eyes, turned off his emotions, and went to hunt.

Lexi would take care of Stefan; Damon could do whatever he wanted.

But for some reason, the thought did not bring him pleasure.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the late update guys...**

**Thanks to victoria for the prompt: Stefan gets hurt and Damon and Lexi start to understand each other while they care for him.  
**

**Please let me know what you think of this chapter with a review! and maybe a prompt or two :)  
**

"You're an idiot," Was the first thing Stefan heard when he opened his eyes.

Groaning, he rolled over onto his side, or attempted too. White hot pain shot through his back. His hands scrambled frantically, skimming his skin, trying to find the source of the pain. His fingers came away sticky with blood. His own blood.

"Don't move," The voice was Lexi's, Stefan realized. Of course it was. "We're still trying to remove the bullet, it's in pretty deep."

"We?" The word came out through clenched teeth as another spasm of pain gripped his back.

A familiar, long-remembered voice drifted from somewhere off to his left. "Hello, brother."

"_Damon?" _

"Don't sound so surprised," Damon's voice was gruff, but Stefan's well-trained ears could hear the affectionate in it. "What was I supposed to do when miss sunshine over here called me and said she needed help with my troublesome baby brother?" A hand gripped his shoulder, hard, fingers digging in almost painfully. "You need to stop being so _stupid_-"

"Yes, yes, you two can fight later," Lexi's impatience cut through Damon's tone effortlessly. "Damon, I need your help. Grip here. Okay, Stefan, this is going to hurt. One. Two-"

The last thing he was aware of was a quick slice of pain and the darkness that closed over his eyes.

OoO

"Thank you for coming," Lexi's words were soft, but Damon heard them.

"Should I say, 'you're welcome'?"

"You can say whatever you want." She said loftily. "I didn't think you would come, and you did. So thank you."

They were standing by the old sink in the basement, washing the blood off their hands and washing the many rags they had used to clean Stefan's wound. In the darkness Lexi's eyes seemed very bright. She had an unnerving way of studying him, as if she could see right through his facade and deep into him, into that small part of Damon that still _felt _something.

He turned away from her. "Well I wasn't going to stand by while my brother was getting shot, was I?"

She moved so she was right beside him, hand gripping the sink, her fingernails still crusted with dried blood. "There was time when I think you wouldn't have cared."

Twisting to face her, he grabbed her arm, hard. She growled, a warning, but he ignored it. "Is that what this is about?" He snarled, shoving his face into hers. "Are you trying to fix me? Save me? Well we've already had this discussion, Lexi. You can't save me. So don't even try. Just worry about Stefan and leave me alone."

She yanked her arm out of his grip and turned away from him. "You never stop caring about family, Damon. No matter how hard you try to turn the switch and forget, Stefan is always going to make you feel something. So stop trying to shut him out. You came tonight because you _felt _for him. Because you _cared. _You don't need me to save you-you have Stefan for that."

She left him standing there, with a response tingling at his lips, and a hollow ache in his chest that just might have been something like sadness.

OoO

"Hey sweetness."

Stefan blinked, raising a hand to cover his face as a bright, white light pierced his irises. "Lex?"

"Who else?" She was perched at the edge of his bed, legs crossed, head cocked, smiling a little playfully, with a touch of something else. Dissapointment?

He sighed, loudly. "I was stupid."

"Yeah." She said shortly, sharply. "You were. How does that make you feel? That you went so long without human blood and attacked an innocent girl...that her father was a vampire hunter and you were shot? Does the blood make you feel invincible, Stefan? Does it make you feel good?"

Her interroigations had become something familiar to him, so he responded with what she wanted to hear, with what he needed to tell her. He had learned it would do no good to lie. "I don't know what I feel."

"I know what you feel." She leaned forward, chin resting on her hands, eyes boring into him with almost frightening intensity. "You feel guilty."

"I don't," He said, reflexivly, "I don't know what-"

She tilted her head to the side, a predatory gesture. "Yes you do. I can see it on your face. Your just afraid. Your afraid to let all that pain back in, because for half an hour before you were _shot _you felt nothing. And it felt _so good _didn't it?"

He looked down, avoiding her gaze. "Yes," The word was a soft whisper.

"I asked Damon to come tonight," Lexi said just as softly. "because I knew that he still cares about you. Look at him, Stefan. He is the monster that you were, that you were tonight, and he still loves his little brother. There's still something human in him, Stefan...and if there's something human in Damon, I know there's still something left in you."

"How?" He whispered. "How can you know?"

She smiled, suddenly, very sweetly, and reached out to smack his arm. "Because, Stef, I'm the one who got you to laugh last week. And I saw you smile, and I'm your best friend, so I just know these things. And I haven't seen Damon laugh once, not since I've known him, and he still cares enough to come save you tonight. So if I can get you to smile, then you're going to be okay."

His lips twitched a little, at her words, and she smiled again. "See? You're going to be just fine."

OoO

Damon stood with his hand resting on the door, not quite sure what was holding him back from leaving this place. Stefan was healed now, of course, and he had Lexi to look after him. Damon could leave. Run from this place and continue living in the wilds, hunting at night, killing and drinking and...

But the thought made him feel so _tired_...

"Leaving so soon?"

He didn't have to turn to see who it was. "You can't stop me, Lexi."

"I wasn't going to."

He paused, turning slightly to look at her. "What do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything from you, Damon. What do you want from me?"

He twisted fully around to face her, and saw that she was close-he could see unshed tears clinging to her eyelashes, and wondered briefly why she had been crying. Was it because of Stefan and his ripper ways? Most likely.

"I want you to help Stefan." He said, quietly. "And to leave me alone."

She nodded, slowly. "Okay. I'll help him."

He returned her nod, sharply, and turned back to the door. His fingers brushed the cold door handle again.

"Damon." Lexi's voice was quiet, trembling slightly, and it pulled him up short.

He didn't turn around, but he said, "Yes?"

"Thank you."

Now he did turn to meet her eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them-that they would always come together to save Stefan from himself. That they could rely on each other to protect the troubled vampire who still seemed like a child to Damon, even now.

He nodded to her, again, and said softly, "You're welcome."

And he hurried out the door before he changed his mind about leaving, about being saved, and about wanting to care again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for how short this is guys...**

**Thank you to Kika de Apus for the prompt: Damon overhears Stefan and Caroline talking about Lexi.  
**

**Please keep the prompts coming! :) And I love Damon, but maybe a Lexi and Stefan prompt? Just a thought,  
**

**let me know what you think of this chapter, pretty please!  
**

Caroline was the new Lexi.

Well, almost.

They looked alike, if Damon thought about it. Same blond hair, and snarky attitude. But where Lexi had been relentless with his brother, Caroline was almost flirting, flitting around him like some sort of bizarre butterfly.

Caroline actually impressed Damon most of the time-she was strong-but now, with Stefan speaking of Lexi and Caroline there...

"You remind me of someone," Stefan said, a note of sadness, grief in his voice that was tampered down by his slight smile, "My best friend. Lexi."

Great. Now him and his brother were on the same wavelength now...

Caroline smiled in a way that would have made Lexi laugh. "Tell me about her."

Damon left The Grill before Stefan even opened his mouth. He couldn't bear to hear about Lexi now. Not when Stefan was being so _good, _and Damon couldn't "behave" and Caroline was making Stefan smile, and Elena...

"God," He snarled, earning several odd looks from passerby. "I _hate _this."

Because Damon was feeling something.

Something that might have been sadness. Or grief. But that was ridiculous. Damon Salvator didn't _feel. _

But watching Stefan and Caroline, smiling and eating and talking, he cared.

Even if he will never admit it to anyone, especially himself-

He missed Lexi.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the prompt, victoria :)**

**review?  
**

She wasn't quite sure how it happened.

One minute they were hunting-bunnies, not humans-and the next guns were firing and Stefan was snarling and white-hot pain was shooting through her and she couldn't move, and-

"Lexi?"

Stefan's voice. Low. Pained.

Groaning, she rolled over onto her back and gingerly pushed herself up, leaning on her elbows. A dull ache burned in her temples and lower back, but she knew the wounds were already healing.

It was dark, and she blinked several times, struggling to focus her pain-blurred eyes. "Stefan?"

He was lying a few feet from her, wasn't he? So why could she feel blood...?

Oh God.

"Stefan!" She was running towards him before she even had time to process her actions, before she even thought about moving. Dropping down beside him, she ran her hands across his chest, back, stomach.

Wooden bullets, embedded deep and harshly in his skin, scraped against her fingers, every surface that she touched. Blood, Stefan's blood, burned against her hands.

"Lexi," Stefan whispered, his voice tight, choked. "Lexi, are you-"

"I'm fine," She snarled, furious. _How could they do this? _She didn't even know who "they" were. But if they were human, if they came back, she was going to rip their throats out. Slowly. Painfully.

"Okay," She said, fighting for calm. "We need to get these out of you."

Stefan's eyes widened, and he coughed, a wheezing, labored breath. "There's too many..."

"This is going to hurt." Lexi wrapped her fingers around the bullet closest to her, and pulled.

Stefan choked, back arching up under her hands, fingers spasming as he searched for something to grip, something so the pain wouldn't-

"Sorry," She whispered, knowing his pain. Hating it.

He shook his head. "Not...not your fault, Lex."

"Alright, sweetness, we're going to have to do this again. One. Two-"

Another bullet was yanked free, and this time, Stefan screamed.

OoO

"I can't get them all out," Resignation made her voice, soft, but she wanted to scream. Scream and tear and bite at the people who had done this to them. "I can't get them out, Stefan, I'm sorry."

He was breathing so hard the words were barely distinguishable. "Don't...be."

"I'm proud of you, you know." She said, laying down next to him.

"Hmm?" His eyes were closed.

"Don't sound so surprised." She forced a laugh, and dug her fingers into his arm until his eyes flickered open again. "You're my best friend."

"...thanks."

"Wish this hunting trip could have gone better though," She said, to make him smile.

His lips twitched, and he nodded, just the smallest inclination of his chin. "This wasn't what we were expecting, was it?"

Lexi blew her breath out in a sigh, and patted his hand. "No. It wasn't."

"Hey Lex?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't leave me here."

She laid down so her head was right next to his, and gripped his fingers, hard. "Never."

OoO

"Lexi...Lexi, it hurts."

"Shh..." She soothed, patting his hair, stroking his cheek, something, anything to calm him. "I know, Stefan. I know."

This was so different compared to how she was used to taking care of Stefan that she was at a loss of what to do. She was used to containing a ripper, not this injured, hurt, desperate _boy. _

They'd been here for hours, and if help didn't come soon, she was going to have to leave or risk getting burned to death. But she couldn't leave Stefan here in this state, and she needed tools to get the bullets out of his skin. They couldn't stay here. But where else were they going to be safe?

"Lex?" Her name was a groan.

"Right here." She whispered, giving his hand a squeeze.

His eyes fluttered closed, and she allowed him that luxury, for a few minutes. The pain was enough to make anyone sleep, even if his body was trying to heal itself, it would have a difficult time doing that when there was wooden bullets embedded in his skin.

But five minutes was all she would allow. He needed to be coherent and conscious. "Wake up, sweetness." She slapped his face, lightly.

He moaned.

"hey. Hey, Stefan. Talk to me. Come on."

"Shh," He groaned.

"Do you remember when we first met?" She said, because she didn't know what else to do.

He nodded.

"What did I say to you?"

"Lex-"

"What did I say to you?"

"What...what kind of an idiot are you?" He quoted, voice a tight snarl of pain. "I remember."

"Aren't you glad you met me?" She kept her voice sly, teasing, but her fingers were skimming his abdomen, searching for a bullet she could pull out.

He snarled at her.

"Oh, be nice." She rebuked.

"Easy...easy for you to say." He was panting. His fingers spasmed in hers.

"You know," She said, abruptly serious. "You didn't have to take those bullets for me."

"'Course I did."

She smiled, a little, in the dark. And, very gently, wrapped her arms around him, a quiet hug. "Thanks."

He leaned his head against her shoulder. "welcome."

"So..." she pulled away from him, forcing her voice to be lighter again. "Tell me a story."

He groaned. "Seriously?"

"It'll help pass the time."

"I can barely breathe," He protested, tone almost indignant.

"You're a vampire."

He wheezed a laugh at her tone and nodded. "Alright. Story time with Stefan."

She grinned. "I like the sound of that."

"You know I loved someone, once?"

"When you were human?" She ran her thumb across her knuckles soothingly as his body arched against the pain. He exhaled-a quick, harsh breath.

"Yes. Katherine." His voice lifted a little at the name, caressed it.

"You still love her." Lexi smiled, playfully. "Don't you?"

"No," the word was a soft snarl. "I don't."

"Okay," She said, quietly. "You don't have to tell me that part of the story. Tell me whatever you want, just keep talking, okay?"

He closed his eyes, but his fingers dug into hers, hard and strong. "alright."

OoO

After Stefan was panting to get his words out, Lexi stopped his story with an upraised hand. "Shh. That's enough. Now it's my turn."

"You...want..."

"Shush, you." She said, gently, pressing a finger to his lips. "I want to tell you a story. About my love. He was human..."

Her finger was still pressed firmly against his mouth, but his eyes said, _that must have been hard. _

"It was," She said, quietly. "But I loved him. And he loved me. I turned him, and it is the biggest regret of my life. I should have let him die a human. He should have had a chance to love someone who could give him children, grow old with..." Her voice was breaking, and she was ashamed of it. She should not cry in front of Stefan. Not about this.

His fingers tightened around hers. "hey...Lex..."

She swallowed, hard. "I'm alright, Stefan."

The look he gave her clearly said that he did not believe her, but he let the matter pass, and said, softly. "I turned Damon."

"I know," She said, just as quietly. "He told me, when I came to him asking about how I could help you."

"I shouldn't have done it," He whispered hoarsely, harshly. "He wanted to die, I should have let him, but..." His chest heaved under her hands, and she cupped his cheek, soothing him again with a soft murmur. "But, he's my brother, Lex. And...and I didn't want to spend an eternity alone. I've always needed Damon, and..."

"He's your big brother," She said, gently. "He's always protected you."

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Not always," the words were nearly a laugh, "But, I care about him, Lexi. And now he hates me."

"He doesn't truly hate you, Steph. He's your brother. He still cares about you."

His eyes had drifted closed again, but his next words were strong and clear, "How can you know?"

"Because," She said, shifting her weight so she was closer to him. "I've seen the way he looks at you."

"I haven't seen him in-"

"Years? that's nothing, Stefan. Nothing, when you have forever."

He smiled, a little. "Have I ever told you how much I'm glad you're my friend?"

She smirked, and laid down beside him, resting her head gingerly on his shoulder. "You could stand to mention it more."

He laughed, a soft, strained laugh in her ear. "I'll keep that in mind."

OoO

"What the hell happened?"

She winced at the voice and half-raised her head to look at the newcomer. "Damon?"

The elder Salvatore was crouched in front of her and Stefan, eyes blazing and furious, teeth bared. "What. Happened. To. My. Brother?"

"easy, easy," She protested, sitting fully up. "We were attacked. Stefan took a lot of hard blows. But He's been-"

"You didn't call me?" His tone was incredulous.

"No? You didn't cross my mind, and I don't have my phone on me." She bared her own teeth at him, furious.

He was smart enough to lower his voice, but his eyes still pierced her like daggers. "We need to get you two out of here. The sun is coming up soon. Help me with him."

Groaning, she pushed herself to her feet and went to Stefan's head, gently lifting him off the ground while Damon pulled at his feet and legs.

Stefan's eyes fluttered open. "Lex?"

"Here." She said softly. "We're moving you somewhere. You'll be fine."

"Damon?" He guessed.

She smirked. "The one and only."

He coughed a weak laugh and looked up at her. "Guess you were right."

"Will you two stop talking," Damon cut in angrily, "and start moving _before _the sun comes up and Lexi decides to burst into flames?"

Biting her lip to hide her smile, Lexi nodded.

"Thanks," Stefan mouthed to her as she half-carried him through the woods. She knew what he meant: thanks for being my best friend, thanks for keeping me alive, thanks for keeping me sane, thanks for caring about me when I thought no one else did.

She smiled at him. "You're welcome, sweetness."


End file.
